Timothy Veal MD
@timothyvealmd.bsky.social
Board-Certified Psychiatrist. Your brain is the original performance engine—I help to fine-tune it. Follow for evidence-based insights—posts ≠ medical advice.
The best advice I ever ignored: “You can’t do it all.”
I chose to define “all” differently—focused intensity, not scattered effort.
Fewer things, done better. More meaning, less burnout.
What’s yours?
I chose to define “all” differently—focused intensity, not scattered effort.
Fewer things, done better. More meaning, less burnout.
What’s yours?
June 19, 2025 at 2:26 PM
The best advice I ever ignored: “You can’t do it all.”
I chose to define “all” differently—focused intensity, not scattered effort.
Fewer things, done better. More meaning, less burnout.
What’s yours?
I chose to define “all” differently—focused intensity, not scattered effort.
Fewer things, done better. More meaning, less burnout.
What’s yours?
I wish more people knew that high achievement in sports doesn’t protect against mental illness — it can sometimes hide it.
The grind can be both a mask and a trap.
Study: Gouttebarge et al., Br J Sports Med (2019)
The grind can be both a mask and a trap.
Study: Gouttebarge et al., Br J Sports Med (2019)
June 19, 2025 at 4:17 AM
I wish more people knew that high achievement in sports doesn’t protect against mental illness — it can sometimes hide it.
The grind can be both a mask and a trap.
Study: Gouttebarge et al., Br J Sports Med (2019)
The grind can be both a mask and a trap.
Study: Gouttebarge et al., Br J Sports Med (2019)
Protein needs shift with age.
More in your 20s–30s to grow
Less animal protein after 45 to reduce aging pathways (mTOR)
More in your 60s+ to preserve muscle. Prioritize plant-based sources as you age
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
More in your 20s–30s to grow
Less animal protein after 45 to reduce aging pathways (mTOR)
More in your 60s+ to preserve muscle. Prioritize plant-based sources as you age
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
www.thelancet.com
April 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Protein needs shift with age.
More in your 20s–30s to grow
Less animal protein after 45 to reduce aging pathways (mTOR)
More in your 60s+ to preserve muscle. Prioritize plant-based sources as you age
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
More in your 20s–30s to grow
Less animal protein after 45 to reduce aging pathways (mTOR)
More in your 60s+ to preserve muscle. Prioritize plant-based sources as you age
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
New brain scan study finds cannabis use linked to higher dopamine in the same brain region tied to psychosis. The more severe the use, the stronger the signal. What does this mean for mental health?
Ahrens J et al. Convergence of Cannabis and Psychosis on the Dopamine System. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025.
Ahrens J et al. Convergence of Cannabis and Psychosis on the Dopamine System. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025.
April 19, 2025 at 6:36 PM
New brain scan study finds cannabis use linked to higher dopamine in the same brain region tied to psychosis. The more severe the use, the stronger the signal. What does this mean for mental health?
Ahrens J et al. Convergence of Cannabis and Psychosis on the Dopamine System. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025.
Ahrens J et al. Convergence of Cannabis and Psychosis on the Dopamine System. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025.
It’s just a stimulant side effect,” they said.
But a new study finds even non-stimulant ADHD meds can raise your child’s heart rate and blood pressure. Would you want their heart checked before the next refill?
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
But a new study finds even non-stimulant ADHD meds can raise your child’s heart rate and blood pressure. Would you want their heart checked before the next refill?
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com
April 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
It’s just a stimulant side effect,” they said.
But a new study finds even non-stimulant ADHD meds can raise your child’s heart rate and blood pressure. Would you want their heart checked before the next refill?
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
But a new study finds even non-stimulant ADHD meds can raise your child’s heart rate and blood pressure. Would you want their heart checked before the next refill?
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
She thought her metabolism was broken. He blamed genetics. But brown and beige fat burn calories. Cold, exercise, and spicy food can activate it. Could this be your body’s built-in fat-burning switch?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
April 16, 2025 at 2:18 PM
She thought her metabolism was broken. He blamed genetics. But brown and beige fat burn calories. Cold, exercise, and spicy food can activate it. Could this be your body’s built-in fat-burning switch?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
After Clozapine REMS Removal (FDA, Feb 2025): REMS is gone, but CBC monitoring remains essential.
No REMS ≠ no risk.
It does mean fewer access barriers—and more patients may now be eligible. Are you re-evaluating your clozapine criteria?
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/answeri... via @@psychtimes
No REMS ≠ no risk.
It does mean fewer access barriers—and more patients may now be eligible. Are you re-evaluating your clozapine criteria?
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/answeri... via @@psychtimes
Answering 3 Clinical Questions in the Wake of the Removal of the Clozapine REMS Requirement
Without the scaffolding of the REMS requirement for clozapine, how can you best utilize this treatment?
www.psychiatrictimes.com
April 16, 2025 at 3:45 AM
After Clozapine REMS Removal (FDA, Feb 2025): REMS is gone, but CBC monitoring remains essential.
No REMS ≠ no risk.
It does mean fewer access barriers—and more patients may now be eligible. Are you re-evaluating your clozapine criteria?
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/answeri... via @@psychtimes
No REMS ≠ no risk.
It does mean fewer access barriers—and more patients may now be eligible. Are you re-evaluating your clozapine criteria?
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/answeri... via @@psychtimes
Why do so many people with schizophrenia smoke? Nicotine helps their brain focus by calming an overactive network. Now scientists are testing brain stimulation (rTMS) to do the same thing—without smoking.
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/in-schi... via @@psychtimes
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/in-schi... via @@psychtimes
In Schizophrenia, Nicotine Enhances Cognitive Performance by Improving Brain Network Function
The prevalence of tobacco use in schizophrenia is over 60%—3 times that of the general population. However, the reason for the high prevalence of tobacco use in schizophrenia remains largely unknown.
www.psychiatrictimes.com
April 14, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Why do so many people with schizophrenia smoke? Nicotine helps their brain focus by calming an overactive network. Now scientists are testing brain stimulation (rTMS) to do the same thing—without smoking.
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/in-schi... via @@psychtimes
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/in-schi... via @@psychtimes
Turns out, 150–300 min/wk of vigorous or 300–600 min/wk of moderate activity offers the most mortality benefit. Pushing harder beyond that? No harm—but no added reward either.
What if your “sweet spot” for longevity isn’t intensity, but consistency?
www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10....
What if your “sweet spot” for longevity isn’t intensity, but consistency?
www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10....
www.ahajournals.org
April 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Turns out, 150–300 min/wk of vigorous or 300–600 min/wk of moderate activity offers the most mortality benefit. Pushing harder beyond that? No harm—but no added reward either.
What if your “sweet spot” for longevity isn’t intensity, but consistency?
www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10....
What if your “sweet spot” for longevity isn’t intensity, but consistency?
www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10....
He stopped drinking years ago. But his brain still showed the scars. A new autopsy study links past heavy alcohol use to brain shrinkage & memory issues—driven by damage to tiny blood vessels.
What do we carry even after we quit?
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
What do we carry even after we quit?
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
www.neurology.org
April 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
He stopped drinking years ago. But his brain still showed the scars. A new autopsy study links past heavy alcohol use to brain shrinkage & memory issues—driven by damage to tiny blood vessels.
What do we carry even after we quit?
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
What do we carry even after we quit?
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE) study (N=269): Antenatal opioid exposure linked to reduced volumes in cortex, deep gray matter, cerebellum, and amygdala on neonatal MRI. Methadone → ↓ white matter; buprenorphine → ↓ right amygdala.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
April 8, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE) study (N=269): Antenatal opioid exposure linked to reduced volumes in cortex, deep gray matter, cerebellum, and amygdala on neonatal MRI. Methadone → ↓ white matter; buprenorphine → ↓ right amygdala.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
